Blood pressure of a living organism is regulated by the sympathetic nervous system, the balance between the pressor system and the depressor system, and the like. The renin-angiotensin system participates in the pressor system. Renin would act on angiotensinogen to produce angiotensin I. Then, angiotensin I is converted into angiotensin II by an angiotensin I converting enzyme. Angiotensin II is a potent vasoconstrictor, acting on the adrenal cortex to promote the secretion of aldosterone, thus causing an increase in the blood pressure. Angiotensin II exerts its function via an angiotensin II receptor on the cell membrane. Therefore, an antagonist to angiotensin II is usable as a remedy for hypertension caused by angiotensin II, similar to an angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibitor.
Although peptidergic angiotensin II antagonists such as saralasin are known, these antagonists show reduced effectiveness in orally administration because of their peptidergic nature. On the other hand non-peptidergic angiotensin II antagonists have been reported (e.g., JP-A-56-71074, JP-W-3-501020, WO 9319060, and the like; the terms "JP-A" and "JP-W" as used herein mean an "unexamined published Japanese patent application" and an "unexamined published Japanese international patent application", respectively) and are efficacious when administered orally. Recently, it has been proposed to use quinoline compounds having a 2-arylquinoline skeleton as non-peptidergic angiotensin II antagonists (JP-A-5-230022, JP-A-5-239053, JP-A-6-16659, JP-A-6-80664, and the like).
Of the quinoline compounds as described above, the compounds disclosed in JP-A-6-80664 have particularly excellent properties as angiotensin II antagonists. Of the compounds, N-{2-{6-(2-ethyl-5,7-dimethyl-3H-imidazo4,5-!pyridin-3-yl)methyl!quinoli n-2-yl}phenyl}trifluoromethanesulfonamide and salts thereof are expected to be highly useful as a remedy for hypertension because these compounds are very readily absorbed in vivo. The present invention provides intermediates in the synthesis of these quinoline compounds having a trifluoromethanesulfonamido group and a process for producing these intermediates.